Post-work

I have waited a decade for a book like this to come along. With wide-eyed clarity, Hester and Stronge give the field of ‘post-work’ the extended treatment and advancement it deserves. Bridging philosophy, labour history and policy debates, the book becomes more than a resource: it is a call for fresh forms of political intervention in a world where work is not working. * David Frayne, Author of The Refusal of Work (2015) *
Post-work is the movement of our time. This is a super smart, accessible and comprehensive account of how to think about, implement and thrive in a society that is moving away from an outmoded work ethic to a new, more humane way of being. If you don't have time to read the many books being produced on this subject, just read this one. Essential reading for anyone worried about where we are going. Ideal for classes at all levels. And a must-have on the bookshelf. It's going straight onto my class reading list. * Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College, USA, and Author of The Overworked American (1992) *
A devastatingly clear critique of what is wrong with the world of work, and a dizzyingly exciting, but never naïve, guide to the possibilities that exist to create something much better. * Andy Beckett, Guardian and London Review of Books, and author of The Searchers (2024) and When the Lights Went Out (2009) *
Hester and Stronge guide their reader towards an understanding of what is at stake in our “negative freedom,” that is, our temporal freedom from the constraints of work. They care deeply about the ways labour changes our bodies, minds and ability to truly be with one another in meaningful and transformative ways. They want to rescue us from the work week. With clarity and precision, they show us precisely how what we will must be the driving force for any “post-work” future. * Lola Olufemi, Author of Feminism Interrupted (2020) *
A remarkable synthesis of post-work thought and a hugely significant contribution to the debate around our shared future. * Amelia Horgan, author of Lost in Work (2021) *
Since the 19th century, nothing has signalled the victory of capitalism over those it exploits more forcefully than the recurring notion that work is something to be fought for, rather than against. In this landmark intervention, Hester and Stronge remind us that the fight for freedom can only be a struggle against work, while comprehensively surveying the field of contemporary post-work politics and making the case for its urgent indispensability. * Jeremy Gilbert, Professor of Cultural and Political Theory, University of East London, UK, and co-author of Hegemony Now (2022) *
A thorough and accessible guide to post-work thinking, and a powerful challenge to our work-obsessed politics and culture. This book illuminates a path to a world in which we can live and breathe more freely. * Daniel Chandler, Author of Free and Equal (2023) *
Post-Work makes the case for a world in which work no longer dominates our lives. Hester and Stronge’s incisive book shows how moving beyond the work ethic could improve the lives of everyone, as well as tackle political issues from climate change to gender inequality and disability discrimination. A compelling argument for work reduction as a key aspect of liberation. * Alva Gotby, author of They Call it Love: The Politics of Emotional Life (2023) and Feeling at Home: Transforming the Politics of Housing (2024) *